Walker vs The Assassin
by phedtay
Summary: Walker is seriously unhappy with Chuck after the debacle with Lon Kirk and his boat.  It's an A/U story with a bit of Charah at the end.


Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck or the song ' Feeling Good '…

the story:

Chuck Bartowski winced and whimpered as he took a deep breath. A sigh was probably not the best idea at the present time. It hurt too damned much. Hell... breathing hurt too!

Crap! It felt like she'd managed cracked a couple ribs this time. He gingerly pulled his tee shirt up and peered at the mottled black and blue bruising that covered his left side.

An enraged Walker's retaliation. The bruises she normally left when he wouldn't stay in the damned car were getting progressively harder to hide from Ellie and her concerned sister-sense. If she really knew what was going on...

Chuck had considered the whole spastic colon excuse a decent bit of quick thinking since Walker had been late getting to the scheduled Team debriefing and mission update. He'd been very aware that she was saying good bye to her favorite boy toy as Larkin was headed deep under cover.

He'd been wrong... very wrong. Walker had pounced as soon as the monitor went dark and gotten in a few viscous punches to his ribs before Casey stopped her. Not that Casey really gave a damn about Chuck or his well being.

Chuck studied the Winter Solstice tree Ellie expected him to have fully decorated by the time she got home from work. Ellie also expected Sarah to be helping as a good girl friend would. She was unaware that Sarah was merely a 'cover' girlfriend, and that lack of knowledge was keeping her alive... for the moment.

So he was on his own, and hurting. Chuck was contemplating another round of Advil and ice when the apartment door slammed open. Badly startled, he yelped as he turned towards the front door.

" You stupid son of a bitch, " Walker snarled as she stomped into the room.

Before Chuck could do much more than cringe, she slapped him and shoved him up against the nearest wall.

" Huh? What the hell were you thinking? You embarrassed me in front of Beckman this morning and you got me benched this afternoon... "

Chuck struggled to think of something to say, something that wouldn't further enrage his ISA handler. " Casey thought... "

" Casey! " Incandescent rage flared in the arctic blue eyes. " Casey's a drunk IIA burnout that needs to be put down and I'll have a conversation with him just as soon as I'm done here... "

" You gonna beat him up too? " Crap... where had that bit of idiotic bravery come from. Real bright Chuck!

A malicious smirk twisted her flushed face. " Why? You wanna watch? Will that getcha all hot and bothered? "

Chuck shook his head and decided to remain silent. There was nothing he could say that she wouldn't twist and use against him; most likely as physical violence.

Her rage quickly returned as Chuck failed to respond. Walker slapped his side and smiled as Chuck groaned and doubled over.

" You dumb bastards had better come up with a way to smooth things over with both Lon Kirk and Beckman... " Walker stepped back, her chest heaving, her eyes gleamed with sick joy as she watched her asset writhe on the floor.

" Okay... " Chuck gasped. " Just please don't hit me anymore... "

" Then don't give me any more reason... " She whirled and stalked to the front door. She froze as it swung open. " What the fu... "

There were two muffled reports as Walker was thrown back. As the body hit the floor a tall, blond figure clad in black spy mission garb stepped into the room. A Glock with a suppressor was held rock steady, her blue eyes were cold as death.

Chuck gaped up at a woman who eerily resembled the dead ISA handler. Like the old time gunslingers, she stepped over and studied the body on the floor. Blood welled ever so slowly from two professionally placed wounds in the forehead.

A satisfied smile ghosted across her face.

" Who? "

She quickly shook her head. " It doesn't matter. Are you alright? "

Chuck nodded slowly. " Except for a couple of cracked ribs... I'll manage... "

" Good! " The frighteningly familiar looking woman quickly squatted down before him. " You'll be fine. It may take some time... but you will. Here! "

She held out a gloved hand. Chuck stuck out a sweaty paw and she dropped a thumb drive into the palm.

" I've been told that this is compatible with your special lap top and it will explain things... "

Chuck froze, horrified. How did she...

" They don't know about it Chuck. " It was like she was reading his mind.

A solitary tear worked it's way down her cheek. She leaned forward and placed a feather light kiss on his forehead. " I've gotta go! Your Casey is on his way... "

She straightened up and headed down the hall towards his bedroom as Casey stumbled wheezing through the front door. The IIA agent gazed pop eyed at the dead body in the middle of the floor.

" What the hell happened here Bartowski? "

It had been a very long twenty four hours since his ISA handler had been assassinated in his living room. Chuck had undergone a grueling interrogation from Casey and the Imperial Marshal assigned the case, Alex Forrest. She was an intimidating platinum blond in red, white and blue leather.

Chuck was exhausted but at least the cracked ribs were now wrapped and Ellie had gotten him some effective subscription pain meds. He cased the apartment as he entered. The body was gone and the ISA cleaner team had done a thorough job.

He retrieved the thumb drive from the spur of the moment hiding place and went to his bed room. He puttered about, changing into clean clothing and wished for a hot shower. He felt both physically and spiritually grimy and knew the water would only cleanse the exterior. But it would still be an improvement.

Chuck turned his computer on and with a few deft keystrokes started the programme that disrupted the signal to Casey's bugs and cameras and interposed a loop of his sleeping. Walker had insisted on the precautions to hide her unwelcome and perverse nocturnal activities.

Making sure both the Morgan door and the bed room door were locked, Chuck pulled his secret lap top from it's hiding place and booted it up. He downloaded the files from the thumb drive...

" If you are watching this, then my mission was a success... "

Chuck paused the video playback and studied the other Sarah Walker. There was a warmth and a sense of life and humor lacking in the eyes and features of his ex handler. She was also missing a pair of scars and an underlying cruelty and harshness that had marred the features of his Walker.

He hit play again. " ...I'm Sarah Walker. I have a Chuck Bartowski in my life and I love him... very much. I had to kill your Sarah Walker to keep you safe and alive. I've no regrets and you shouldn't either. Things will get better... be patient and be strong... I know you can... "

She smiled at him and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

" I can't talk long and I can't stay. I need to get back to my Chuck. I'm going to turn this over to someone who can and will explain everything to you... so good-bye. "

She moved off screen and another person stepped into the camera view. Chuck received yet another overwhelming jolt to his reeling mind and heart.

He was looking at himself; a himself that looked about twenty years older. The curly brown hair was greying and shorter than he wore it; there were smile lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. The other brown eyes were warm and friendly and held a hard earned wisdom.

" Hey Chuck, " the older Chuck said with a bright and confident smile. " Yeah... I'm you... just older and to be an old older you, ISA Agent Sarah Walker had to die. The Mark II Intersect is being brought on line even as you hear this and Walker had been tasked with your... my elimination. She would probably have taken Casey out too as a clean up of Operation Dumb Ass as she liked to call it... "

Sarah woke up, gasping and sweating, her heart thundered in her chest and ears. She'd just had the weirdest dream that had felt so incredibly real. She sat up and glanced hastily around and found that she was home.

" Sarah? " a sleepy voice asked. " Are you okay? "

Just hearing that voice brought a sense of calm to her racing mind and heart.

Then the certainty hit her. She knew it hadn't been a dream. It had been all been very real. She had killed a cruel and evil Sarah to protect Chuck. That Chuck had explained it to her when he'd asked for her help. He was from an alternative time line or universe and had needed her to stop the other Sarah Walker from killing him.

Chuck turned a bed side lamp on and peered at her through sleep glazed eyes. " Sarah? "

" I'm fine Chuck, I really am. I just had a bad dream that's all. "

Chuck gazed at her for a long moment. He reached over and brushed her hair from her sweaty face. " You wanna tell me about it? "

Sarah sighed. " Not right now... maybe in the morning... "

Chuck nodded his acceptance. " If you still remember it then in the morning is fine. "

" Will you do me a favor? " she asked.

" Sure. "

" Could you play my song for me? "

With another nod of his head and with a bright Chuck Bartowski smile, he hopped from the bed and stepped over to the stereo. Within moments the opening notes eased into the room and eased their warmth into her heart.

" Birds flying high you know how I feel... "

Sarah listened to the achingly beautiful and soulful voice of Nina Simone and remembered the first time he'd played it for her. " I love you Chuck! "

" I love you too, " he murmured as he eased back onto the bed. " 'Till the end of our days... "

" … and beyond, " she whispered back.

" Sun in the sky you know how I feel

Breeze drifting on by you know how I feel... "

the end


End file.
